Growing Pains
by Fight'sNotOverYet
Summary: Love. It isn't always easy, especially for the Hitachiin twins. But sometimes, a little twist of fate can make it easier than expected...or a hell of a lot more complicated, especially when the twins and their fellow Host Club members find themselves caught up in the world of spies, lies, and alibis.
1. The New Girl

A/N: _Hey guys! Sooo this is my second story but my first fic for OHSHC. Warning: may be a bit OOC throughout the story, plus some violence that we don't typically see in the OHSHC mangas and anime. I thought a little bit of action would be good mwahahaha :D If you're not into that then I suggest you don't read this._

"Again."

"Hup!" _Whish, thwack._

"Again."

"Hah!" _Swoosh, bam._

"Again."

"Tch." _Swish, crack._

 _"Again!_ "

"Haaah!" _Swish, bash; smash, thwack; swoosh, bam._

A burly man waved the rest of the "attackers" off. They let off sighs of relief as they sweat dropped at the sight of their fellow men, now laying unconscious on the ground.

But they were more afraid of the figure standing above them: staff in hand, though hand-to-hand combat was not unknown to her; strong, cold gaze catching every bit of movement around her; deep red hair in a high ponytail, tied with a black ribbon but only one knot. She didn't really like bows. Some of her hair fell on her face, but not a drop of sweat made it sticky.

A tall, muscular, bearded man observed quietly, no expression on his face though he secretly smiled with approval. "Good," he said in his deep voice. "You're all dismissed."

The girl turned her gaze to the remaining men who were conscious, who sweat dropped even more. She closed her eyes and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the lesson," she said, her clear voice heard by all in the room. She stood up straight again, turned on her heel, and walked out.

 _Later that evening, at the dinner table..._

"Say, Dad?"

"Hmm?" The burly man from earlier said.

"You have any missions coming up?"

Her father, Sakazaki Akio, took a sip of tea and looked at her. "Yes, I have a flight for England next week."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Depends on how the mission goes."

"Well, give me an estimate."

"Well, this is quite an important mission...it could take up to a few months, I'm afraid."

The girl kept a straight face, but her father saw the sadness in her eyes. "I see," she said simply, then resumed eating. Her father smiled at her. "What's wrong, Akane?"

She looked up at him, a little surprised. "Well, it's just that you've been on so many missions lately...don't they have anyone else?" The man smiled warmly at his daughter. "I'm sorry it turned out this way. But we Sakazakis have earned ourselves quite a reputation," he said with a smug smirk, "descending from top spies and agents and whatnot."

Akane nodded. "I understand." She smirked. "Being the best can get awfully lonely, can't it?"

Akio laughed, and the maids around smiled at hearing that sound again. "That's my girl," he said, standing up and ruffling his daughter's hair. Akane laughed. "Oh, by the way, when is-"

"HELLOOOOO!" A voice at the entrance of the dining area called. "Speak of the devil," Akane finished, both her and her father sweat dropping. A girl with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes bounded towards them. "Turn those frowns upside down! The amazing Izumi has arrived," she said with a dramatic bow. "Try obnoxious," Akane said while taking a sip of tea.

"Akane! You're so cruel, speaking to an old friend like that," Izumi said, fake tears streaming from her eyes. Akane gave her a look that said "You're kidding, right?"

Izumi laughed. "I gotta admire your willpower, Akane," she said a little enviously. "I know a bunch of suckers who'd be all over me after that act."

"Unfortunately for you, Izumi, I have no soul," Akane responded sarcastically.

Akio laughed at the two girls. "If you'll excuse me, ladies, I have to start making preparations for my trip. Akane, keep up your training while I'm gone." "No offense dad, but I'm beginning to think those lessons are for the guards and not me," the redhead replied apologetically.

"It's more to hone your reflexes than anything," her father explained. "Just keep it up."

Akane nodded a bit reluctantly. As Akio stood, waiters came and took his plates. "And remember, you'll be going back to Ouran Academy the start of next week. I had a word with Chairman Suoh, and he's fine with your special uniform."

"Thank god," Izumi said. "Those dresses are absolutely dreadful."

"You're not enrolling until a week after me, right?" Akane asked. "Yeah, I have to finish up all the paperwork. You think anyone remembers us?" Izumi said.

Akane sipped her tea thoughtfully before responding. "Who knows? We haven't been there since elementary school. Maybe a couple will." A devious look appeared in the redhead's gray eyes. "And I don't think anyone could forget that time your skirt fell down when we were presenting those little drawings in art class."

Izumi sweat dropped and blushed with embarassment. "Oh no, I really hope no one recalls that..."

Akane smirked mischievously again. "Well, if they don't, I'd be happy to jog their memories."

"You're scary, you know that?"

"Who, me? I wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Heh, yeah. You'd give it a quick and painless death."

Akane smiled to herself. She'd developed quite a reputation in her father's organization as a clever teenage girl with a sharp wit and skill at ingenious pranks - the makings of a top spy. Not that Izumi's reputation was much better than hers, but the blonde seemed a little - just a little - less devious.

"C'mon, let's take the elevator upstairs. I'll help you get your stuff for school ready," Izumi offered. "Sure, thanks," Akane replied, standing up. The two spent the rest of the night helping Akane prepare and catching up.

 _\- A week later, start of the new semester -_

Hikaru sat in his usual seat, looking bored. Kaoru was taking a nap at his desk and Haruhi was taking before-class notes, so there wasn't much for him to do except wait for the teacher.

As usual, the girls in his class were swooning over him and his twin. Haruhi, of course, got the same treatment.

"Hikaru-kun is so dreamy! So is Kaoru-kun! Their brotherly love package is just too much for me!"

"Right? They're both SO hot."

"Aw, Haruhi-kun looks so focused on his notes! How adorable!"

"He really is so smart! To think he's actually a commoner!"

Hikaru sweat dropped. _If only they knew..._

He cast a glance at the honor student. He'd never admit he was growing to like her, but he knew Kaoru felt the same. The auburn haired boys knew she'd probably end up with Tamaki. Ever since that realization, Hikaru tried to distract himself - just not thinking about her, trying to find someone else...

The problem with that was so many girls liked him, but they didn't really see him as an individual. It was always "Hikaru and Kaoru" or "the Hitachiin twins." Hardly one or the other. And besides, none of them really appealed to him all that much.

He heaved a sigh and twiddled with his pencil, wondering if someone would come along.

His thoughts were interrupted when the class representative walked in. "Excuse me," he called, catching the class's attention. "I'd like to announce that we have a new student today." Hikaru continued fiddling with the pencil, the class rep's words not really registering in his mind.

"You might notice her uniform is slightly different. She has certain...circumstances, ahem. However, the chairman is considering making this the standard uniform, so take a look."

Hikaru zoned back in when he heard some of the boys' comments when the new girl walked in.

"Whoa. Is she single?"

"That new uniform looks good!"

"Damn, she's hot."

"She looks kinda familiar..."

"Can I have your number?"

Hikaru looked up to the front of the class. There was a truly beautiful girl standing there. She had deep red hair and dark gray eyes. He had to admit he was slightly drawn to the mischievous glint in them. Her figure was slim and curvy. Her uniform had the same lilac jacket as the boys', with a white button down shirt inside. A black bow with lilac diagonal stripes was at the collar. Instead of pants was a black skirt, followed by knee high socks and black dress shoes.

She smiled at the class and bowed. "Hi! My name is Sakazaki Akane. I look forward to being part of this class."

"That makes two of us," one of the boys said in a flirty tone.

"Fujioka-san, please raise your hand," the class rep requested. Haruhi complied. "Sakazaki-san, please have a seat behind Fujioka-san."

"Yes, thank you very much."

Hikaru searched his memory. Sakazaki...where had he heard that name before?

She took her seat, and Haruhi turned around. "Good morning! I'm Fujioka Haruhi. Welcome to Ouran Academy!" She added with a bright smile.

Hikaru was worried Akane might fall for Haruhi right then and there. Not because of any other reason than Haruhi was a girl and all, of course. It just wouldn't work out.

Instead, much to his surprise, she simply smiled in return, her dark eyes giving nothing away. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Fujioka-san."

"Please, just call me Haruhi."

"Oh! Alright then Haruhi, I hope we can get along."

At that moment, the teacher walked in, his hair ruffled, his glasses skewed. He took a deep breath. "I see you've met our new student. Please be courteous toward her and welcome her to Ouran with open arms. Now, group work! Group A will be Mitsuhara Tadashi, Icho Suzumu, Suzuki Aoki, and Yuuki Dachi. Group B will be Fujioka Haruhi, Hitachiin Kaoru, Hitachiin Hikaru, and Sakazaki Akane. Group C will be..."

Hikaru's eyes widened with happiness when he heard his group members. Akane seemed agreeable enough and getting a chance to know her seemed worthwhile.

The four assembled to get started on their assignment. "This seems easy enough," Haruhi stated. "We're just testing chemical reactions." "Well, if that's the case," Hikaru started, that devious smirk appearing on his face, "why don't we get to know a little more about each other?"

Kaoru guessed his brother's thoughts. "Yes, why don't we?" Haruhi sweatropped. She didn't like where this was headed.

Hikaru spoke first. "Pleased to meet you, Sakazaki-san," he said, flashing her a such a dazzling smile that some girls passed out. Much to Hikaru's surprise, Akane flashed a brilliant smile of her own.

"Likewise," she said. "And please, just call me Akane! We can all be friends here, right?" Hikaru smirked. _She's good._

Hikaru kept smiling and continued. "Then in that case, please call me Kaoru." Haruhi sweat dropped. _These two are cruel._

Akane tilted her head slightly and spoke hesitantly. "Um, I'm sorry, but...forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't your name Hikaru? And isn't he Kaoru?" She added, pointing at Kaoru.

The three looked at her in shocked silence for a moment. Hikaru spoke quietly. "But...how...did you...?"

Akane rested her hand on her chin, smirking at the auburn haired boy smugly. "Well, growing up around the kind of line of work my father is involved with, I've grown to be quite observant. To me, you're two entirely different people - because you are. Plus, I was here for most of elementary school. I was in your classes." She faked a hurt look. "You don't remember me?"

A memory clicked in Hikaru's mind. Sakazaki...he knew he'd heard the name. His face had heated up slightly at the girl's hurt expression. "W-well, I remember you now," he said quickly. "By the way, why'd you leave Ouran in the first place?" He couldn't help but think that he and Kaoru had inadvertently wasted an opportunity by never noticing her. Now that he looked back on it, she had always adressed Hikaru as Hikaru and Kaoru as Kaoru. But she'd never really had an actual conversation with the twins.

Akane smiled somewhat sadly. "Ah, well...it's complicated."

Hikaru raised and eyebrow and was considering pressing on when the sound of shattering glass was heard behind the group. All four pairs of eyes looked in that direction. A group of girls were hovering around a smaller one, with brown hair and glasses. A shattered beaker with spilled contents laid on her desk. She looked distraught.

One of the other girls sneered, "For goodness' sake, Sachi, watch what you're doing! You're the only one here who knows a damn thing about chemistry, so don't be such a screw up."

"I-I'm so sorry, it was just an accident," Sachi said timidly. "I'll be more careful."

Another girl slammed her hand down on the dry part of Sachi's desk. "The hell you will," she snapped. "Your father's such a successful scientist, and he gets this piece of trash for a daughter. I'd disown you the first chance I got."

The rest of the girls laughed while Sachi trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.

Haruhi had had enough. She stood up. "Please stop that! Making one little mistake like that doesn't mean you can just insult her." "Besides," Hikaru started. "Shouldn't you be doing your own work?" Kaoru finished.

The first girl looked like she was about to say something, but Akane had stood up. "Don't listen to these three," Akane said to the girls. "What do they know? Just some nerds thinking they own the place because they've got the best grades." She scoffed. "Do whatever you like to that girl. She's worthless. Look at how she's trembling right now! Pathetic!" She laughed along with the rest of the girls.

Hikaru's jaw hung open in disbelief and disgust. Haruhi and Kaoru had similar expressions. Hikaru was about to confront her when something caught his eye.

He watched curiously as Akane slipped a small pill like object into each of the girls' spare beakers. The redhead continued, "You know what, she's such a pain. Here, I'll get her out of your hair. She can work with us, and we'll get you the answers. Sound like a plan?"

One of the girls chuckled. "I like this one." The first girl smiled evilly. "Thanks, you're too kind."

Akane smiled back and took Sachi by the wrist. "Sensei!" She called. "My group and I will be going into the hallway now to test the higher level reactions."

He nodded, distractedly. "Oh, of course. Make sure you write down all your observations."

"Yes sir!~" the girl said cheerily. She shot a glance at Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi. "Well, let's go then," she said. Something in her deep gray eyes made them obey her.

When they exited the classroom, Haruhi spoke up again. "What the heck, Akane-chan?" she said, dismayed. "That was so mean to Sachi! I can't believe anyone would - "

"Shhh..." Akane interrupted. "Front row seats." A devious smirk appeared on the girl's lips as she leaned against the wall. "Five...four...three...two...one."

A muffled explosion was heard from inside the classroom, followed by shrill voices screaming. Soon after, the door burst open, and all the girls that Akane had appeared to side with ran out screaming. Their hair and skin were completely stained a violent shade of indigo. After they ran past, Akane burst out laughing, soon followed by the twins. Even Haruhi and Sachi joined in.

"Ohh, that was great," Akane said, wiping a tear. "Sorry about that," Akane said to Sachi. "I had to make myself convicing and distracting enough so that they wouldn't see me messing with the beakers."

Sachi laughed. "No it's fine, that was totally worth it!"

Hikaru smiled to himself. So she was a prankster, huh? "That was brilliant," the older twin said. "We should do collaborative pranks sometime," Kaoru added. Akane smiled. "Maybe...I just got here, so it might be a good idea to not ruin my reputation so quickly."

They nodded. Sachi said, "Well, I should go back in and help clean up the beaker I broke. Thanks again, Sakazaki-san!"

"Don't mention it."

Sachi bowed and went back inside. Akane turned to the three of them. "So, now that she's gone," the redhead began, "tell me, Haruhi...how long have you been able to keep up that 'I'm a boy' act?"

Their jaws dropped. "Akane, what're you saying?" The twins said in unison. "Haruhi is clearly a boy! Look at him!" The girl sighed. "I told you I'm just observant. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

"That would be appreciated," Haruhi said, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. Hikaru stared at Akane in wonder. First this girl tells the twins apart with such ease, then she figures out Haruhi is a girl after just one class with her. Who _was_ she?

"Hikaru, you coming?" Kaoru's voice interrupted his thoughts. He hadn't noticed the three of them walk back to the classroom door. "Oh, yeah, coming."

The class rep met them at the door. "Fujioka-san, Kaoru-san, would you mind running some errands for the teacher?" He asked, handing them a sheet of paper. "Not at all," Haruhi said politely. "Let's go, Kaoru." "'Kay."

The class rep then turned to Akane and Hikaru. "Then, Hikaru-san, would you mind showing Akane around the school? She hasn't been in the high school wing before, so it would be much appreciated if you could escort her."

"Sure," he responded casually. He began walking down the hallway, hands in his pockets. "C'mon, Akane."

Hikaru couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Haruhi was the only one at school other than Kaoru that could tell the difference between the twins. It felt weird.

Despite himself, he did feel a bit happy. The day passed on, and after he showed Akane all he could, the two were outside by the fountain, enjoying the scenery. "Thanks for showing me around," she said politely. Hikaru smiled. "No problem." The two sat side by side in silence for a while. Then Hikaru stood. He held out his hand to Akane, his signature devious smile etched onto his face. "Wanna kill some time?"

The girl returned the smile and took his hand. "Sure, why not?" He helped her stand, and the two went to get some "supplies" to help with their "killing time." Hikaru smiled at the bag of eggs, pins, balloons, and spray bottles they'd found.

Now _this_ was gonna be fun.


	2. Cafeteria Showdown

_A/N: Here you go, chapter two is up! Sorry that updates won't be as frequent as I'd like them to be but I'm gonna be pretty busy (and the fact I'm doing 2 stories at the moment doesn't help things). I promise to update as soon as I can but thanks in advance for your patience._

One of the teachers at Ouran Academy strode into the teachers' kitchen and requested her lunch. She took a seat and let out a relaxed sigh. When her plate arrived, she thanked the chef and began to eat. A puzzled look appeared on her face as she heard a sizzling sound...coming from her food.

Her side of mashed potatoes exploded without warning, coating her face and the table. Everyone looked at her in stunned silence.

Then she screamed.

She screamed so loud all attention was drawn to her, and no one noticed the two individuals running away from the teachers' cafeteria.

"RUN!" Hikaru yelled. He and Akane sprinted down the hallway laughing. They ran back outside to the fountain, catching their breath and laughing uncontrollably. "Oh god," Hikaru gasped. "Did you see her face?"

Akane laughed and nodded in response, unable to speak. "Priceless," she managed to say. So far, they'd rigged the Art Club's door with eggs, hid whoopie cushions on the seats in the lobby, and made countless faculty members' lunches explode right in their faces.

Hikaru sighed with satisfaction. That was the most fun he'd had in a while. Whenever he pranked with Kaoru, Tamaki would always scold them or stop them and it wasn't as enjoyable. But this...

"Crap," Akane said, standing abruptly."We're gonna be late." Hikaru eyed the clock and groaned. "I don't wanna..."

"Hurry up," Akane called over her shoulder. The older twin heaved a sigh. "Y'know, I'm supposed to be escorting you, so we can skip as many classes as we want. Heck, we could like, go to the movies or something."

The girl eyed him curiously. "Won't Kaoru be worried about you?" Hikaru's eyes widened. He'd forgotten. "Oh, yeah..." He scratched his head. "Well," he said, standing up, "can we at least skip till lunch? Class is never fun first day of the new semester." Akane shrugged. "Sure. You're the one escorting me after all."

The two started wandering the school grounds. "Oh yeah," the girl said. "By the way, are you in any clubs?"

An evil grin spread across the twin's face. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."

"Really? Which one?"

"I can show you later if you're not busy after school."

"Sure."

Click.

The sound of a camera shutter stopped Akane in her tracks. She whirled around, scanning the area. Her eyebrows contracted into a frown. "Yo, Akane!" Hikaru called. "Something wrong?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she continued to cast a vigilant eye around the vicinity. Hikaru walked over to her, then nudged her arm. "Hey, what's up? You ok?"

"Yeah..." Akane responded after a while. "It's nothing. Let's go."

Hikaru nodded with a puzzled look on his face and followed her.

-Lunchtime-

"Ahh, lunchtime!" Kaoru said with satisfaction. "Akane, what do you want to eat?"

"Umm..." Akane began. "I'll have lunch set A, I guess." "Same for us," Hikaru said.

Hikaru, Kaoru, Akane and Haruhi sat down together. Most of the time was spent asking Akane about herself, and just getting to know each other. "So, you're a commoner?" The redhead said with interest. "Yes, you could put it that way," Haruhi said with a laugh. "I'm not poor though, as many people would assume. I'm simply not rich, is all. My father and I-"

The honor student's word were interrupted by a sharp crack. All eyes in the cafeteria swiveled toward the source of the sound. In a corner of the room were two boys-both tall and muscular. One had spiked black hair and the other had light brown. At their feet lay a small boy, most likely a freshman, clutching his stomach in pain.

"They're at it again?" Kaoru said quietly. "Who are they?" Akane asked. Hikaru kept his eyes on the two boys as he spoke. "The black haired one is Suzuki Hiro. His dad runs a real estate company. The other is-"

"Tsukio Yuuji," a voice said behind them. "Both are on the varsity baseball team. It gets to their heads a lot."

Akane turned and saw a blonde boy at the cafeteria entrance. He had deep purple eyes and was tall and slim.

He approached Akane with a dazzling smile. "Hello there, princess," he said, taking a bow. "I'm Suoh Tamaki, a second year. I don't believe I've seen you here before. Tell me, what is your name?"

"It's Akane," she replied with a straight face. "Sakazaki Akane."

"What a beautiful name. Fitting for such a gorgeous face." He tilted her chin up gently. "There's no need to be afraid, darling. I'll take care of those two for you."

"Um...I'm not scared, but thanks, I guess."

"My, how brave you are! How wonderful! Stand back now, this will be over quickly."

"I wouldn't be so sure, boss," Kaoru said. "Yeah really," Haruhi added.

"Silence, peasants," Tamaki said dramatically. "Have faith in your king."

And with that, he strode toward the two delinquents. Hikaru glanced at the girl beside him. He was secretly happy that she hadn't fallen or swooned over Tamaki. He smiled to himself and watched what Tamaki was about to do.

The "king" put his hands on his hips. "Hey, you two." The boys looked at him, seeming uninterested. Tamaki spun a full 360 degrees, and when he faced them again, he pointed a finger at them dramatically. "I command you to leave that boy alone!"

A stunned silence filled the room.

Haruhi and Kaoru sweat dropped.

Hikaru face palmed.

Akane's eyebrow twitched. "You're kidding me...right?"

The two boys blinked, then burst out laughing. "Piss off, blondie," Tsukio Yuuji said, then continued laughing.

A devastated gasp escaped Tamaki's mouth. "How dare you use such foul language towards me! Do you know who I am?"

Suzuki Hiro picked up the boy on the ground by his collar. "Yeah, our next victim, if you don't keep your mouth shut." He kicked the boy in the stomach, and Yuuji poked him with his baseball bat. "Huh? Unconscious already?"

"Please stop!" A voice cried desperately. A girl was being held back by her friends. "He's my brother! Please, leave him alone!"

"I think not, sweetheart," Shiro sneered. Yuuji glared at Tamaki. "And don't you get any ideas." Tamaki backed away slightly, clearly unsure of what to do.

A sadistic grin spread across Yuuji's face. He raised his baseball bat above his head, ready to bring it down on the boy's head. "No!" his sister screamed.

There was a metallic clang as the bat hit something else. A confused and surprised look appeared on both delinquent's faces.

Beneath the bat was Akane, blocking the blow with a metal staff. There was a cold, defiant look in her eyes.

"Akane!" Hikaru yelled, getting to his feet. Where did she even get that staff?

"Oh, who's this?" Yuuji said with a grin. "New girl?"

Haruhi ran over to Akane's side. "This is Sakazaki Akane, Tsukio-san. Yes, today is her first day." Tension filled the air as neither Akane nor Yuuji gave way.

"Sakazaki?" Hiro said tensely. He turned to Yuuji. "Dude, this is-"

"I know," Yuuji said calmly. "It'd be great to take her apart right here and now."

Akane still didn't waver. "I'd be more than happy to take you on." She smirked. "Kicking little shitty rich kids' asses is one of my favorite pastimes."

"What was that, you little bitch?" Yuuji growled, tightening his grip on the bat. "Yuuji," Hiro said in a warning tone. "Akane, maybe we should just drop it," Hikaru said quietly, now only a few feet from her. She didn't seem to hear him.

Without warning, Yuuji brought his bat back and swung it at Akane's head with incredible speed. She sidestepped lightly, dodging the attack. Her staff twirled between her fingers, and she cracked it on Yuuji's wrist. He cried out in pain and dropped his bat. He bent down quickly to retrieve it, but Akane placed her foot on it firmly. The edge of her staff was at Yuuji's neck.

Hiro moved forward, but the look in Akane's eyes told him to think again. He glanced at Yuuji instead. "Dude, let's just go."

"Tch," Yuuji muttered. He got to his feet slowly. Akane lowered her staff. "You're not bad, kid," Yuuji said. "But that was pure luck today. It won't be that way next time."

With that, the two delinquents exited the cafeteria. Akane turned to the boy, who now had his sister by his side. "Thank you so much," she said quietly. Akane nodded. Hikaru ran over to her, joined by Kaoru, Haruhi, and Tamaki. "Are you ok?" He asked. "Yeah," she answered. "Where'd you get the staff?" Tamaki asked.

Akane pushed both ends of the staff inward so it contracted into a small metal cylinder. "My pocket," she replied. "Akane-chan, that was-"

"Incredibly heroic!" Tamaki gushed. "Come to the Host Club after school! We'll have a celebration!"

"The...Host Club...?"Akane asked. Hikaru chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, that's the club I'm in."

"I should've figured," Akane said with a sigh. "Well, fine, if you insist. Though I don't really think it's worth celebrating."

Outside the school, a man was observing the scene with interest through his binoculars. "Interesting...she's improved quite a bit." He took out his camera and browsed through the photos he'd taken of her. He found one with her walking alongside Hikaru and frowned. "Hitachiin Hikaru...must not get in the way of this."

 _A/N: FINALLY UPDATED omg. Hope you like the story so far. Sorry this chapter was kinda short, but I really needed to update something at least. Thanks for reading; don't forget to review!_


	3. Celebrations, Enemies, Songs, and Tears

_A/N: Alrighty, chapter 3! Yaaay followers increased ^-^ Hope you enjoy~_

 _(P.S. there are songs in this chapter; I highly recommend listening to them as they're mentioned in the chapter. The first one is "Who You Are" by Jessie J (but I used the Nightcore version) and the second is "Lay Me Down" by Sam Smith)_

Akane lifted her head slightly as the sound of the bell signaled the end of the day. Well, the third day of school, anyway. Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi had gone ahead to make preparations for Akane's celebration that had gotten pushed back due to such short notice. _Though it really isn't necessary._

She packed her books and made her way down the hallway. "Music Room 3, Music Room 3..." She wandered the halls a bit, checking each door. "Ah! Found it."

She placed her hand on the handle. When the door opened, there was a bright light, followed by rose petals flowing out from the room. "Welcome," a chorus of voices said.

When the light cleared, Akane saw six boys, not including Haruhi. All of them were what any teenage girl would call attractive. "Ah, our princess has arrived," Tamaki said with a wink. "Who is it, who is it?" Honey said excitedly. He angled his head to see, and his mouth gaped. "Aka-chan?!"

"Honey-senpai?! Mori-senpai?!" Akane said with equal shock. Kyoya eyed the two seniors. "You've met our guest before?"

"Mmhmm!" Honey said happily. "We taught her martial arts!" "Yeah," Mori added. "Ah, I see," Kyoya said smoothly. "And, you are...?"

"Sakazaki Akane," she stated, entering the room. "I attended here for elementary."

"My name is Ootori Kyoya," Kyoya said. "I'm Vice President of this club," he added pushing up his glasses. _More like Shadow King,_ Haruhi thought. "And I," Tamaki announced, standing up, "am the club's wonderful, gorgeous president!"

"That's rather arrogant..."Akane said quietly. Tamaki let out an epic gasp. "A...arrogant?" He sat in his emo corner, his back to everyone. "I'm...arrogant?"

Hikaru and Kaoru laughed, moving to either side of Akane. Each placed an arm on her shoulders. "Way to go, Akane! You put the boss in his place." Akane sweat dropped. "Is he really that sensitive?"

"It gets worse," Kyoya said with a sigh. "Anyway, please, have a seat! This is your party. People will start arriving any minute." "About that," Akane began. "I really appreciate all this, but I don't-"

"Aaah~, don't be like that," the twins said in unison. "We did all this for you, y'know!" They each took an arm and dragged her to a nearby couch. "So, Akane," Hikaru started. "Would you like a drink?"

"Some tea, perhaps?"

"No, Kaoru, we should offer her the commoners' coffee!"

"Good idea!"

"Um, it's ok, you don't have to-"

"Now, now," they interrupted. "Relax!" Kaoru said. "We're not called the Host Club for nothing," Hikaru added, patting her head.

With that, the twins left, leaving Akane to look about the room with interest. The piano in the corner of the room caught her eye, and a distant memory stirred. In her mind was a beautiful woman, with wavy hair the same color as her own, a soft smile spreading to her lips as she played and sang...

 _Mom..._

Before she realized it, Akane was walking towards the piano. She sat down on the bench and took a deep breath, remembering the song her mother used to play...

"Hmm, where did it go..." Hikaru mumbled, searching for the coffee. He was lifting some plates out of the way when the sound of piano keys reached his ears. "Huh, the boss is playing already?" But as he lifted his head, he saw Tamaki was sitting with guests. All eyes were fixed on something behind him.

"Hikaru," Kaoru said quietly, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Huh?" Hikaru asked. He followed Kaoru's gaze and his eyes widened. There, on the piano seat, was Akane, playing a song he'd heard before. There was silence as she began to sing.

 _"I stare at my reflection in the mirror_

 _'Why am I doing this to myself?'_

 _Losing my mind on a tiny error..._

 _I nearly left the real me on the shelf._

 _No, no, no, no, no..._

 _Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars_

 _Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

 _It's ok to not be ok ._

 _Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart._

 _Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising._

 _Just be true to who you are._

 _Who you are, who you are_

 _Who you are, who you are_

 _Who you are, who you are_

 _Who you are, who you are_

 _Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?_

 _I forgot what to do to fit the mould_

 _The more I try, the less it's working_

 _'Cause everything inside me screams_

 _No, no, no, no, no..._

 _Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars_

 _Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing_

 _It's ok to not be ok._

 _Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart._

 _But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising._

 _There's nothing wrong with who you are..."_

Akane took her fingers off the keys slowly, smiling to herself. Something dawned in her eyes and she became aware of her audience. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said in a rush. "I don't know what came over me, I just-"

"What're you apologizing for?" Hikaru said with a smile. "That was beautiful."

"Why didn't you finish the song?" Kaoru asked. "I, uh, didn't know the rest of the lyrics," Akane admitted, blushing a little.

"BRAVO!" Tamaki exclaimed. "THAT WAS GORGEOUSLY DONE!" He attacked the girl with a death hug, joyous tears streaming down his face dramatically. "Thanks," Akane choked out. "I can't breathe."

"Akane-chan, you should do performances around the area!" Haruhi said. "I'm sure you'd be really popular."

"Aka-chan's always been a good singer," Honey said from atop Mori's head. "Yeah," the quiet boy agreed.

All the girls rushed up to her.

"Wow, that was amazing!"

"Where did you learn to play?"

"Can you sing something else for us?"

"Oh my goodness, your hair is perfect!"

The redhead sweat dropped at the sudden attention. Kyoya observed with interest. "She's quite talented. If we get her to make regular performances here, we could charge for admission and make a profit..."

"Always taking advantage of the situation, aren't we..." Haruhi said while sweat dropping.

"You can't really blame him," a high pitched voice said from behind them.

Everyone's eyes were directed to the room's entrance, where two girls were standing. One had a shock of green hair and matching green eyes, while the other had pink hair and gold eyes. They looked rather...bizarre.

The girl who spoke, the girl with pink hair, spoke again. "After all, performing is all she's good for. She's perfect to be the Host Club's new dog." "Right?" The green haired girl sneered.

"That wasn't very nice," Honey said to the pink haired girl. "Mika-chan, Aka-chan is really nice! Have you even met her?" "Shut it, loli," Mika said harshly. Mori glared at the girl. "That was uncalled for," he said dangerously. Mika took a step back. "Whatever. Midori, let's go."

The two girls strode over to where Hikaru and Kaoru were sitting on either side of Akane. The twins lifted their heads as the girls made their way across the room.

"Oh no," Hikaru groaned. "Right now?" Kaoru muttered. "What's wrong? You two have a problem with them?" Akane asked. "You could say that," Kaoru replied.

"Midori and Mika," Hikaru said. "They're obsessed with us. They hardly leave us alone."

"Ah, I see." Akane's gray eyes observed with interest. Mika and Midori glared at Akane for a moment, then each snatched away a twin by his arm.

Mika, who was holding Hikaru, turned around at glared at Akane. "Hika-chan's only being nice to you because you're new." "Same with Kaoru-chan," Midori piped up.

They tightened their grip on the twins' arms. "They're ours," they said in unison. Akane raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Hikaru looked at her apologetically, and she smiled reassuringly.

Kyoya sighed and got in their way before they could exit. "I'm sorry ladies," he began, pushing up his glasses, "but the twins are needed here for the time being. However, this is Akane's celebration, so you are allowed to stay."

"You're throwing a party for _her_?" Mika said in disgust. "Oi, Mika!" Hikaru said. He'd had enough. "What is your problem, you don't even-"

"Hikaru," Akane interrupted. Hikaru reluctantly stopped himself from saying any more. Akane turned her steady gaze to meet Mika's. "I'm gonna be straight with you," she began. "It's only my third day. I don't even know you. I haven't even seen you in the halls. We never interacted. And just for the record, I didn't ask for this party. They offered. So, you wanna tell me what I've done to you or are you just on your period?"

Mika narrowed her eyes, but said nothing. Kyoya took this chance to speak up. "All due respect, ladies, as I've said, this is Akane's celebration. You are welcome to stay, but if you disrupt the peace like this, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you leave. The twins stay here."

Mika and Midori glared back and forth from Akane to Kyoya. "Fine," Mika said through gritted teeth. She gave Hikaru a flirty look and stroked his chin. "Call you later." Then she and Midori walked out, but not after Midori blew a kiss to Kaoru.

Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Kaoru, remind me to ignore my phone if it rings...thanks for bailing us, Kyoya-senpai." "Not at all," Kyoya said smoothly. "I was simply preventing the club from losing any potential profits."

The twins sweat dropped at that. Hikaru turned to Akane. "Sorry about that...I don't know what got into them. Sure, they're crazy, but..."

"Nah, it's nothing," Akane said coolly. "I've been through worse." "Well, now that that's over with," Tamaki said, "let's start the celebration!"

The rest of the afternoon was spent socializing, eating, and just having an overall great time. Haruhi and Akane continuously won at the 'Which One is Hikaru' game, and after that, Akane caught up with Mori and Honey. "Aka-chan, you've kept up your training, right?"

"Of course," she said. A dangerous glint appeared in her gray eyes. "Though it'd be fun to spar again with one of you."

"Ok everyone, party's almost over!" Tamaki announced. "You've all been such lovely guests, so we're going to let YOU choose how the party ends! Now, my princesses, what would you like to do to end this lovely evening?"

The girls talked amongst themselves. When they finished, one said, "We'd like to hear Sakazaki-san perform again, please!"

"Huh?" Akane said, surprised. "Ah, c'mon Akane, go for it!" Hikaru said, resting an arm on her shoulder.

"Oh, alright, if you insist," the redhead said with a sigh. She sat down at the piano. "Um...is there anything you'd like me to play in particular?" The girls confided with each other again. Another girl said, "If you don't mind, we'd like to hear a song that reflects something in your life...a dedication to someone, perhaps? We love things like that."

Akane's eyes widened. She had a perfect song and a perfect dedication, but it came with great pain. A shadow came over her eyes.

"Um, Sakazaki-san?"

Akane said nothing. Hikaru moved to her side. "Hey, you ok?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," she said with a chuckle. "I just thought of the perfect song..." Hikaru nodded, somewhat confused, and sat back down.

Akane took a deep breath. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my mother, who passed away...just last year."

Haruhi's eyes widened as gasps were heard around the room. "Um, anyway...hope you like it."

She slowly placed her hands on the keys, then began to play, a solemn look on her face.

" _Yes, I do, I believe_

 _That one day I will be_

 _Where I was right there_

 _Right next to you_

 _And it's hard, the days just seem so dark_

 _The moon and the stars_

 _Are nothing without you_

 _Your touch, your skin_

 _Where do I begin?_

 _No words can explain_

 _The way I'm missing you_

 _Deny this emptiness, this hole that I'm inside_

 _These tears, they tell their own story_

 _You told me not to cry when you were gone_

 _But the feeling's overwhelming_

 _It's much too strong_

 _Can I lay by your side?_

 _Next to you, to you_

 _And make sure you're alright_

 _I'll take care of you_

 _And I don't want to be here if I can't be with you_

 _Tonight_

 _I'm reaching out to you,_

 _Can you hear my call?_

 _This hurt that I've been through_

 _I'm missing you, missing you like crazy_

 _You told me not to cry when you were gone_

 _But the feeling's overwhelming_

 _It's much too strong_

 _Can I lay by your side?_

 _Next to you, to you_

 _And make sure you're alright_

 _I'll take care of you_

 _And I don't want to be here if I can't be with you_

 _Tonight_

 _Lay me down tonight_

 _Lay me by your side_

 _Lay me down tonight_

 _Lay me by your side_

 _Can I lay by your side?_

 _Next to you,_

 _You."_

Akane slowly removed her hands from the keys, a distant look in her eyes. She lifted her head with a sad smile. "Well, there you go...what did you guys-"

Her sentence was cut off by three fourths of her audience bursting into tears. They were sobbing all over each other uncontrollably. Haruhi had a shadow cast over her face, and was trembling slightly. Kyoya had his head bowed, not making eye contact with anyone. Mori looked at her with sympathy; he and Honey already knew, of course. "AAAKAAANEEEEE!" Hikaru, Kaoru, Tamaki, and Honey yelled. Tears streamed down their faces as they hugged the redhead. "You poor child! Come to me if you need anything at all! Anything!" Tamaki said, almost choking her. "We're here for you, Akane," Kaoru said. "That's right, so please don't cry!" Hikaru cried as he hugged her. "H-Hikaru, I'm not crying..."

"WAAAH, AKA-CHAN!" Honey bawled, jumping into the girl's lap. "YOU'RE GONNA BE OK, OK?! ME AND TAKASHI WILL BRING YOU CAKE! AND EAT IT WITH YOU, OF COURSE!"

"Ahaha, H-Honey-senpai, really, I'm ok. Thanks though." A shadow came over the group hug. They all looked up to see Mori towering above them. He looked Akane in the eye and said, "Are you ok?" The girl smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Mori-senpai." Mori smiled and patted her head.

"Good." Then he stood there protectively.

Tamaki took out a handkerchief and wiped at his eyes and nose. "Well, my princesses...sniff...this celebration has come to an end. Everyone give Akane a round of applause. She deserves it."

Everyone clapped, and most wiped at their tears. "Thank you, everyone," Akane said.

After everyone had left, she packed her things and was about to leave when Tamaki grabbed her shoulder. "Tamaki-senpai," she said. "What's wrong?" The blonde boy smiled. "I just wanted you to know...even though I may seem pretentious and all, but...the pain of not being able to see or please your mother...I understand."

Akane's eyes widened at his sudden honesty. "Same for me," Haruhi said with a sad smile. "You're not alone."

She stared at them in silence for a while. Then she smiled sadly as well. "Yeah, I guess." She shouldered her backpack. "I'll be going now...thanks for everything."

"No, thank you," Tamaki said with a smile. Akane smiled back and walked out.

She was halfway across the school when she heard running footsteps coming towards her. "Akane! Wait!"

She turned to see Hikaru, who placed his hands on his knees once he caught up to her, out of breath. "Jeez, you walk fast," he panted.

"Oh, hey, Hikaru...sorry, can't help that. What's up?"

"I was gonna show you out of the school."

"...oh, well, thanks, but there's no need."

Hikaru straightened and grinned at her. "Nah, I'm still your escort, sooo...plus, I wanna be here in case Mika and Midori come back, make sure they leave you alone."

Akane was about to argue, but stopped herself and sighed. "Fine, let's go." Hikaru smiled and started walking. There was silence for a while, which Hikaru broke. "Hey, that song was um...really touching. I'm sorry." She shook her head. "It's fine. I didn't think you'd all react that way, though."

"Well, it _was_ sad, y'know. Silly girl."

Akane chuckled and shook her head. They arrived at the front of the school. She turned to Hikaru. "Well, time for me to go...thanks for walking with me."

"Don't mention it," he said. His devious smirk was back. "But before you go, I think you need a hug."

"I am in no need of a hug, thank you."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Aww, trying to act tough. That's adorable~."

"What? I'm not-"

She stopped talking when Hikaru engulfed her in his arms, one arm around her waist, while the other was at her back, his hand holding the back of her head so it rested on his chest.

He smiled a little and said quietly, "Y'know, I can tell when people are sad or hurting, no matter how much they deny it or cover it up."

Akane was frozen in shock. Every part of her wanted to deny it, tell him he was wrong, that she was fine, but she found that words wouldn't come.

Without really thinking, she returned the hug. Hikaru found himself somewhat suprised. He hadn't expected her to actually hug him back. He smiled and closed his eyes.

They pulled away after a while. "Better?" Hikaru asked smugly. Akane said nothing. He chuckled. "Ah, well...I suppose you'll need some time." He nudged her arm. "Well, see ya tomorrow, Akane."

"Bye," Akane said. She watched as he continued down the hallway, hands in his pockets, and smiled. "Thank you, Hikaru," she said to herself.

She entered the car that'd been waiting for her and found Izumi waiting inside. "Hey," she greeted. A smug smile was etched onto her face.

"What're you smirking at me like that for?"

"I saw that, y'know."

"Saw what?"

"That cute hug that guy gave you. Wasn't that one of the Hitachiin twins? I remember them."

"Yeah. So what?"

Izumi chuckled. "I'm just teasing you. But why'd he do that?" Akane sighed. "I'll tell you once we get home."

-Sakazaki Household-

"Ah, dammit," Izumi muttered once they entered Akane's room. "I left my bag in the car...I'll go get it. Be right back." She ran to the elevator and made her way downstairs.

Akane set her stuff down and sat at the piano at the side of her room. She started playing random notes, which somehow still sounded good. She stopped suddenly as she saw a drop of water fall on a key. She looked up, searching for a leak.

It was then that Akane became aware of the tears streaming down her face. She touched her cheek in shock. _When was the last time I cried...?_

Hikaru's words echoed in her ears. _Y'know, I can tell when people are sad or hurting, no matter how much they deny it or try to cover it up._

She stood up and sat on the floor by her bed, resting her head on her knees and hiding her face with her arms. "Why..." she whispered. "Why does it hurt so much?"

She couldn't stop her tears from falling anymore. "Why did you have to leave me, Mom?" She put her face in her hands, feeling broken. "I just want you back..."

 _A/N: Aaand there ya have it. As requested, I updated as quickly as possible. Ugh, feels ;-; So, what do you guys think? Please leave a review and let me know. Thanks, and stay tuned for more~_


	4. The Letter

_A/N: Omg. Haven't updated in like...forever -.-" School has been keeping me busy so I've had virtually no time for either of my stories...so sorry everyone. Anyways, here's chapter 4. Enjoy~_

"Ok, I'm back!" Izumi said happily as she strode into Akane's room. "So, what happened at-" The girl stopped at seeing Akane huddled on the ground by the bed, hiding her face. "H-Hey," Izumi began. She'd rarely seen Akane like this. She dropped to the ground beside her friend and put an arm around her shoulders. "What happened?"

The redhead sighed and wiped her face with her sleeve. "It's nothing," she lied, standing up. "Oi," Izumi said, grabbing Akane's arm and dragging her back down. "Sit your ass down and tell me what happened." Akane looked at her friend in shock for a moment, then rubbed her forehead. "Well," she began, "You see..."

Izumi listened with interest while Akane explained the events of that day. "Ah, ok..." The hazel eyed girl responded thoughtfully. She rubbed Akane's arm reassuringly. "The past is in the past, and there's nothing you can do to change that. Just forget about it."

"Just because you've forgotten something doesn't mean you've come to terms with it," Akane pointed out miserably. "I know, I know..." Izumi said with a sigh. "Look, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you, ok? Call me up anytime. Even if it's in the middle of the night, I don't care. So long as you don't keep this to yourself anymore."

Akane nodded, but deep down she had no intention of talking about it. She hated it when people saw her like this, saw her in such a vulnerable state. She couldn't let people see her be weak. She was a Sakazaki.

"Well," Akane said, wiping her face a final time. "I'm gonna take a bath and get my homework done...thanks, Izumi." Izumi beamed. "Don't mention it! I may as well get my paperwork done, too...and maybe do some training?" The blonde continued to mumble to herself as she took out the large pile of papers from her bag. Akane smiled and walked into the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought about how her father had always said she looked exactly like her mom. In all honesty, she didn't care about how she looked. Though she did think her mother was beautiful.

After her bath, Akane came back into her room to find Izumi, sprawled out on the ground amongst scattered papers, asleep. She sweat dropped. "I was only in the shower for like, 20 minutes...jeez." She picked her friend up and laid her down on her bed. Then she pulled out the futon and finished her homework.

She listened to music for awhile, but decided she should get some sleep. Akane eyed Izumi, checking to see if she'd wake up, and then turned the lights off, feeling a little off. She closed her eyes and reflected on everything that happened that day. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

 _-The Next Day-_

Akane found herself at the Host Club after school. "So...this is what you guys do here..." She looked around at the large crowd of girls around each host. Each seemed so captivated by whatever it was their host was doing. "Yes, basically," Kyoya said, taking notes down on his clipboard.

"How exactly does this work?" Akane asked. "They just go with whoever they think looks the most appealing?" Kyoya pushed his glasses up thoughtfully. "In all honesty, I'm not sure what goes through the ladies' minds when they place a request. However, appearance is always crucial in this club. As you can see, all of us are very attractive. In order to get more customers, Tamaki and I purposely chose the most attractive men here at Ouran, while making sure there was a variety in personality and strong point."

"Strong point?"

"Yes. In other words, their most appealing trait. For example, Mori-senpai's strong point would be his silence. Honey-senpai's would be his cuteness. Hikaru and Kaoru's would be their mischievousness." Akane eyed him closely. "And you?"

He took a brief moment to push his glasses up. "Well, I've been labeled as "the cool type", so I suppose my coolness."

"Ah, I see...what about Tamaki-senpai and Haruhi?"

"Haruhi's strong point would be practicality and good natured persona. And as for Tamaki..." He stared at the blonde boy for a moment. "I guess everything, in the girls' eyes. Though he's actually an idiot."

"How straightforward..."

"Speaking of which, Akane, do you have a certain type? You come here after school, but never place a request." He looked at her curiously. "I suppose the twins would be a good match..."

She raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?" The boy chuckled. "That prank you pulled on your first day, of course. You have quite a bit of nerve."

Akane sweat dropped. "W-Well, I couldn't just stand by while...wait, they told you about that?" "But of course," Kyoya replied. "I know everything that happens with the Host Club members."

"Ah, so this is what Haruhi meant by shadow King..."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all..."

"Hmm..."

"Aka-chan!" Honey called from atop Mori's shoulders. "Come have some cake with us!"

"H-Honey-senpai, thats way too much for you!" Akane said while running over to the loli to take one of the five full cakes away from him. "That loli is gonna kill our budget..." Kyoya muttered.

"Excuse me," a voice next to him said.

Kyoya turned, a bit startled, to see a man in a black trenchcoat and a black bowler cap covering his eyes. "Can I help you?" Kyoya asked calmly.

The man held out an envelope. "Please, could you give this to Sakazaki-san?" Kyoya took the letter and eyed it curiously. It was sealed with red wax with a design that resembled some sort of bird.

"Of course," he replied politely. "And who, may I ask, is the sender?" He looked up and found that the man had already exited the room. He frowned, feeling a little unsettled.

"KYOYA!" Tamaki yelled, interrupting the boy's thoughts. "WE DON'T HAVE A THEME PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK!" Kyoya rubbed his forehead. "Please don't be so loud..." He walked over to where the rest of them were.

"Akane, someone dropped this off for you." He handed her the letter. "Ooh," Kaoru started. "What's it say?" Hikaru asked. "Let's find out," she replied.

She carefully tore open the letter and took out its contents in her hands. "Hey," Hikaru said, peering over her shoulder. "What is it-"

Akane stood abruptly, startling everyone. She walked over to Kyoya. "Kyoya-senpai," she began in a serious tone. "Who gave you this?"

Caught off guard by the girl's sudden attitude change, Kyoya mentally shook himself. "I didn't get his name, but he was wearing a black coat and hat, so I couldn't really make out any facial features..."

"Hey, Akane, what's wrong?" Hikaru asked at the sight of her frantically packing her things and heading for the door. "Hold on a second!"

"I'm sorry, I really need to go!" She said, her tone somewhat panicked. She turned and bolted out the door.

Akane ignored the cries of her friends behind her as she continued to race for the door. She took out the contents of the envelope again, distraught.

Inside the envelope had been a picture of her mother's funeral, and another picture of the man who had dropped off the letter to Kyoya. And finally, a picture of her talking with the Host Club. Under the picture of the man was "Remember me?" In red ink, and under the picture of her and her friends had "Be careful..."

She gritted her teeth as she ran. _No. I am not letting this happen a second time._

 _A/N: Uh oh. Trouble inbound...? Find out in chapter five! Ps, I know this chapter was kinda sucky lol. Luckily I'm not that busy today, so I might be able to get another chapter up~ Please leave a review! It would help a lot. Thanks :3_


	5. A Little Assist

_A/N: Ok, time to make up for that previous sucky chapter XD. Five is up! Hope you enjoy_

Akane burst in the front door of her home and shut the door behind her. She ran over to the nearest phone and dialed her father's number. "Dad," she said hurriedly when he picked up. "He's back...yes, I'm positive...no, Kyoya-senpai gave me an envelope, and when I opened it...I know, but...w-wait, what?...yes, I understand. Ok. Bye..." She sighed as she hung up.

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she walked to her father's office. She opened the door and went to a painting on the far left of the room. She gently pushed the edge of the frame and it slid out of her way, revealing a small set of drawers. She opened the top one and felt her heart rate increase. With a slightly trembling hand, she picked up the pistol that was inside.

"To think that I'd have to use this thing..." Akane muttered. She proceeded to push the red intercom button on her father's desk. "Attention," she said, managing to steel her voice. "This is a code orange. By order of my father, I want men on the perimeter round the clock, switch out every twelve hours. The rest of you, cover the windows and the roof, and split up among the interior. Three of you manage the gate. No one comes in or out without my knowledge. All squads, are we clear?"

"This is Alpha. We're clear."

"Beta squad reporting. All clear."

"Charlie reporting. Clear."

"This is Delta. Understood."

"Echo, clear."

It continued like this until all squads reported in. After Akane was satisfied, she said, "Good. Let me know if anything comes up, even if it's just a suspicion. Be careful, everyone."

"Yes ma'am."

She took the pistol and headed to her room. She closed the curtains and sat on the edge of her bed tensely, facing the door. After loading the pistol she focused her mind on her training, running over every possible scenario that could happen. _Not a second time,_ she thought coldly.

 _\- A Week Later-_

"I wonder where Akane has been..." Hikaru muttered. "Yeah, she's been out for a whole week," Izumi, who was already on her third day, said quietly. "She hasn't been answering my calls or texts..." "Don't worry," Kaoru said, placing his arms around both their shoulders. "I'm sure she's fine." His tone was convincing enough but his eyes showed the worry he was feeling.

"I don't know..." Izumi said, not looking them in the eye. "C'mon, cheer up!" Kaoru said, ruffling her hair. "You know how tough she is. Silly Izumi."

"Tch, oi Kaoru! Stop messing with my-hey!" She said, trying to get him to stop fiddling with her hair. "Not until you cheer up!" He said with a laugh.

"Ok, ok, fine! Jeez..."

"You cheer up?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Then smile."

"Why? I already told you I-"

"Oh, you want me to keep playing with your hair then?~"

"You little...fine."

"Aw, there she is!"

"S-Shut up!"

Hikaru smiled at his twin. It was nice to see him having fun with someone else. Kaoru had taken an immediate liking to Izumi, and the two were always talking.

Hikaru frowned at Akane's empty seat. _You're ok...right?_

He heaved a sigh. Izumi had told them she'd been dropping off her work at her house, but she hadn't actually seen her...he didn't like that at all. What's worse, Mika had been even more persistent in Akane's absence. He could hardly walk down the hall without her stalking him. What did she have against her anyway?

After school ended, the Host Club met, along with Izumi. "So she still hasn't come to school?" Honey asked. Izumi shook her head. "Takashi, Aka-chan is ok, right?"

Mori glanced at him. "Yeah...I hope." Honey's eyes widened in shock, then he lowered his head. "This is unacceptable!" Tamaki said dramatically. "Kyoya, look up the Sakazakis' address! We're going to go see what's going on."

"Is this really necessary?" Haruhi asked. "Maybe she's just sick."

"Or maybe something's wrong," Hikaru countered.

"Hmm..." Kyoya began. "I tried to look up her address, but her file is classified...so is everything on the Sakazaki family."

"Don't bother trying to find anything," Izumi interrupted. "You'll find nothing. Everything on the Sakazaki family history is top secret. Unless you're told from one of the Sakazakis, you won't know anything."

"That's true...and those who know aren't allowed to tell without consent," Honey said quietly. "Why all the secrecy?" Kyoya asked. "Can't say, sorry..." Izumi replied.

"Man...I don't like this," Hikaru muttered. "I think it'd be a good idea to visit her," Honey said. "Even if she's just sick, at least we'll know for sure, right? Oh I know, let's bring her some cake! Aka-chan loves cake!"

Hikaru and Kaoru sweat dropped. "Does she really, or are you just looking for an excuse to have some?" They said in unison.

"Well, we should get going," Izumi said, standing up. "No point in wasting time here."

They followed her outside to where Izumi's car was waiting. The passenger's windows were tinted so they couldn't see where they were going. _It really is top secret..._

Eventually the car slowed to a stop at the gates. Hikaru could hear a man's voice outside the car. "Identification?" He asked. "Yojima Izumi," Izumi said. "Proceed," the man said.

The car moved on and stopped in front of Akane's house. Well, mansion. The driver opened their doors, and the group went and rang the doorbell. One of the maids answered. "May I help you?" "Yes, we're just here to visit Akane," Izumi said politely. "Is she home?"

"Oh, you just missed her," the maid said apologetically. "She just left to run a few errands I believe..."

"Did she say where?"

"Unfortunately, no...and she left her cellphone here..."

"Dammit," Hikaru said under his breath. "But she's ok, right?" "Yes," the maid answered. "Though she's been up very late lately...I'm not sure she's been sleeping properly."

"Did she say why?"

The maid shook her head. "No. She stays in her room for hours, I hardly see her around the house."

"Aka-chan..." Honey said worriedly. "Could you tell her we stopped by, miss? We were just worried since she hasn't been at school and we haven't been able to reach her," Kyoya said. "We thought something may have happened," Tamaki added.

"Also, we brought her work and a small treat in case she wasn't feeling well," Haruhi said, holding out a pile of papers and a small box of cake from Honey.

"Thank you so much!" The maid beamed. "I'm sure she'll appreciate it very much. I'll try and see to it that she's getting proper rest. I'll be sure to let her know you stopped by."

"Thank you," Hikaru said. The group went back to the car and rode to their houses in silence.

 _-The Next Day-_

"Hika-chan~! Stop running from me!"

"SOMEBODY SAVE ME!"

"Come baaack!"

"Psst, Hikaru!" Kaoru poked his head from outside Music Room 3. "Hurry up, idiot!"

"Noooooo Hika-chaaann!"

Hikaru bolted for the door and slammed it behind him. He leaned against the door and let out a deep breath. "Oh man...it's getting worse by the day...Akane better hurry up and get back here. I don't know how much more I can take of this..."

"Ohoho, is Mika the _only_ reason you want her back, Hikaru?" Kaoru asked with a smirk. "Shut it, you," Hikaru muttered while jabbing his twin in the stomach, causing Kaoru to let out a yelp of pain.

"She still won't answer her damn phone!" Izumi said in frustration. "I guess I'll just talk to her when I drop off her work today...oh no, I have to go to a meeting with my dad after this!" "I can take it to her," Hikaru offered. "Of course he can," Kaoru snickered, earning him an elbow from his brother.

"Really?" Izumi said. "Thanks!" "No problem," he replied as he took the papers from her.

After everyone had left and Kaoru had gone home by himself, Hikaru walked down the hallway and was about to exit the building when something hugged him from behind. Mika.

"Finally caught you!" She said in her high pitched voice. "Whatcha doin'?" Her eyes widened and she released him after seeing the papers in his hand with Akane's name on them. "What're you doing with those?"

"Oh," he said casually. "I'm just dropping them off for her later." "You shouldn't be helping her," Mika said in an upset tone.

"And why is that?"

"She isn't worth it!"

"What?"

"She isn't worth your time! None of those other girls are, but especially not her!"

"That's enough, Mika," Hikaru said sternly. "You don't get to decide who I spend time on or with and who I don't. If you have a problem with me being friends with Akane, that's on you."

Mika stared at him in shocked silence. He turned back around and walked out. Mika clenched her fists. "I'll get you for this, Sakazaki...just you wait."

- _Sakazaki Mansion-_

 _Jeez, what's with her?_ Hikaru thought as he waited at the door. The same maid opened it. "Oh, Hikaru-kun! Hello," she greeted. "Hello," he responded politely. "Is Akane home today?" "Yes she is!" The maid said cheerily. "I believe she intends to go to school again tomorrow...Right this way." She led him to the second floor. When the elevator doors opened, she pointed down the hallway. "It's that door down there."

"Thank you very much, miss."

"Not at all! Thank you for taking time to visit," she said with a bow. Then she turned and took the elevator back downstairs.

Hikaru started down the hallway. "Hey, Akane?" He called when he reached the door. "It's Hikaru. Can I-" he was about to knock when the door opened a bit on its own.

He poked his head in cautiously. "Akane? You in...here...?" He opened the door all the way and stepped in to find the the redhead at her desk, surrounded by papers and sleeping with her pencil still in her hand. She looked exhausted.

Hikaru couldn't help but snicker a little bit. He took out his phone and snapped a quick picture. "Jeez. If you're sleeping like this, no wonder you're nor getting proper rest..." He saw she had a pile for missed schoolwork and set the work he'd gotten for her down there. After setting the papers down, he took the pencil from Akane's hand and gently lifted her up, setting her down on the bed. He was amazed she didn't wake up. He smiled and shook his head. "Silly girl..."

He was about to walk out when he noticed two other piles: "completed" and "to do." The "to do" pile was much larger than the "completed" one. Hikaru frowned as he remembered that the maid said Akane planned to go back to school tomorrow. She still had so much left to do...

He sat down at the desk, then took off the first paper from the "to do" pile and started writing.

- _Later-_

Kaoru lifted his head to the sound of the bedroom door opening. "Hikaru! There you are," he said in a relieved tone. "Where have you been? It's late."

"Just taking care of something," he said with a grin.

"And what was this 'something', may I ask?

"Don't worry about it. Hey, is dinner ready yet? I'm starving..."

 _-The Next Morning-_

Akane woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. "Ugh..." She groaned, struggling to find the snooze button. She sat up lazily and yawned, then stretched. Realization dawned in her eyes. "Oh, sh-I didn't finish my homework!" She cried, clutching her hair. "I must've fallen asleep at my desk and...wait, how did I get in bed?" She looked at her desk and saw one neat pile of papers in the "completed" section she'd labeled.

She got up and walked over to her desk, noticing a small letter on top of her work. She picked it up slowly and read it.

 _Hehe, guess you owe me one now! Don't push yourself too hard, ok?_

 _See you in class~_

 _\- H_

Akane set the letter down and picked up the sky blue rose that was neatly placed next to it. A smile spread across her lips and she chuckled to herself. "Man, I'm never gonna hear the end of this one, am I?" She said with a sigh as she got ready.

 _A/N: Aw, Hikaruuuu XD so cute. Well, two chapters in one day! Woo! How'd you guys like it? Hopefully it was better than the last chapter ^-^" please leave a review! I really wanna know how you guys think the story is so far._

 _Stay tuned for the next update!_


	6. Taken

_A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the extremely late update, school will be the death of me ;-; *sobs* but I really wanted to get a chapter up so here you go! Enjoy~_

Akane's car pulled up to the large school. It'd been over a week since she'd seen any of her friends. _I wonder how I'm gonna explain this to them..._

Despite the creepy letter she'd received, there was nothing really out of the ordinary. All she ever heard from the squads' reports were "all clear." She prayed the letter was some cruel joke, but knew deep down it wasn't.

Akane opened the car door and stepped out in the modified version, now standard for the school, of the uniform she'd originally came in. The purple blazer and bow were still present, but the black skirt was fitted to her form instead of flowing outward. On her legs were nude stockings, with black wedges on her feet. Chairman Suoh had made a few modifications to make it look 'more sophisticated and classy, since Ouran hopes to have its graduates take on their family's companies.' _Anything but those dreadful dresses_ , she thought.

Haruhi had suggested they meet up before school, so the large main building was practically empty, save for a few sports teams. She made her way through the intricately decorated halls to Music Room 3.

Upon opening the door, there were no rose petals, no chorus of voices saying 'Welcome!', no bright light shining into her eyes. There was only darkness.

Akane, who was still edgy from the past events that had happened, immediately went on alert. Slipping her hand into her blazer pocket, she closed her hand around the small cylinder of her contracted staff. She took a few cautious steps forward.

"Hello?" She said hesitantly, looking around even though she couldn't see a thing. "Hikaru? Kaoru? Haruhi? Anyone here?" She heard a creak to her right and her head turned abruptly towards it. _Dammit, I can't see anything!_

The door slammed shut behind her and she gasped as she was plunged into darkness. _Oh no. Oh god no._ She walked backwards until she felt the wall, then fumbled for a light switch. Panic rose in her as negative thoughts entered her mind. _Is this an attack? He's finally making his move, isn't he? Haruhi told me to meet up with them here...what happened to her? And everyone else? What if this is all a setup? What if-_

Cold fear gripped her heart as she felt arms wrap around her waist. "Behind you~" a husky voice whispered into her ear, his warm breath sending shivers down her spine.

"AAH!" Akane cried. Her reflexes kicked in and she spun, freeing herself from her attacker's grasp. Before she lost sense of his presence, Akane grabbed his arm and pinned him to the wall, her right arm pressed against his throat lightly (for now), and and her left hand grabbing his shirt, keeping him pressed against the wall. "Who are you?!" She said threateningly.

Suddenly, the lights turned on. Akane whirled her head, not loosening her grip on the man, and gaped at what she saw.

Behind her were Kaoru and Izumi, laughing hysterically. Haruhi, Tamaki, Honey, Mori and Kyoya emerged from different areas in the room. "Oh my god," Izumi said between laughs. "Did you hear her scream?" Kaoru nodded soundlessly. "I'm done," he managed to squeak out between breaths.

"Wait, wha...then who was the one that-?" Akane returned her attention to the man that had whispered in her ear, the one she had pinned. Her eyes widened. "Hikaru?!" She cried indignantly.

"Yo!" Hikaru said after calming down his laughter. "Been a while, hasn't it?" Akane was wide eyed with shock. The only thing that snapped her out of it was her sudden realization of how close her face was to Hikaru's, a mere two inches at most, causing her to immediately drop him and step back a little awkwardly.

"Oh my god, Hikaru, I'm so sorry!" She said quickly amongst the laughter that was still going on. "Are you-" she stopped as her mind fully processed what just happened. An annoyed vein popped on her forehead, and she punched Hikaru in the arm. Hard. "Ow!" He cried, tears streaming down his face from laughter.

"WHAT THE HELL, YOU GUYS!" Akane yelled. Izumi doubled over, rolling around on the floor laughing and looking like a deranged animal in a nice uniform. Kaoru followed suit. "I can't breathe," he wheezed. "I can't freaking breathe."

"NONE of you are gonna be breathing if I don't get an explanation!" The redhead snarled, casting deadly glares about the room while advancing towards Izumi and Kaoru, leaving Hikaru to laugh and point at Kaoru as his twin was about to get a beating. "AAAH! NO DON'T KILL ME! TAKE HER INSTEAD!" Kaoru squealed while dragging Izumi in front of him in a mix of terrified screams and crazed laughter.

"WHA - YOU TRAITOROUS BASTARD!" Izumi laughed, punching Kaoru. "Sorry Akane-chan," Haruhi said while giggling uncontrollably. "It was just too good an opportunity." "You have to admit it was pretty funny," Tamaki chimed in, the last part of his sentence dissolving into laughter. Akane observed the scene around her in a mix of pure shock and irritation. Honey was quite literally rolling on the floor laughing, Kaoru and Izumi were in one tangled heap, laughing hysterically, Haruhi and Tamaki were wiping at their tears from laughing so hard, and Hikaru was still leaning against the wall, one hand holding his arm where Akane had punched him, and the other hand clutching his stomach in a futile attempt to control his breathing. Kyoya had chuckled a few times, and even Mori had an amused expression.

Now _that_ pissed her off.

 _Morinozuka Takashi._

With an _amused expression._

She sat down on one of the couches and placed a hand over her face in the universal sign of genuine pissed-off-ness.

Despite herself, Akane felt a wave of relief wash over her. _I'm just glad..._ she thought as she watched them all laughing. _I'm just glad they're alright._ She smiled a bit, and pretty soon she was laughing too. "Yeah, that was pretty good, actually," she said, giggling.

Hikaru had finally managed to calm his breathing down a bit and plopped down next to her, playfully placing an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry, Akane, it was just too good an idea to resist!" Kaoru came over and mimicked his twin's actions. "We knew a prankster like you would understand." Honey's head peeked over the back of the couch. "You're not mad, right, Aka-chan?"

Akane laughed good naturedly. "No, I'm not mad." "Yaaaay!" The twins said in unison. "Akane could never stay mad at us, if you think about it~" Hikaru said in a mock tone, his amber colored eyes locking mischievously with her own storm gray ones.

Akane returned the evil glint and smirked. "Oh, don't get the wrong idea. You're not getting off the hook so easily, not after this. I'll take some time to plot my revenge, Hitachiin Hikaru." Hikaru sweat dropped and chuckled nervously.

"Ummm...call it even?"

"Hell no."

Everyone laughed at the little exchange. "Well, in any event, it's good to have you back, Akane," Hikaru said with a smile.

"Yeah! We saved all this cake for you while you were gone!" Honey chimed in, revealing a towering array of cakes. The other hosts, Izumi and Akane all sweat dropped at the sight. "Doesn't it look great?!" The loli called, eyes almost crazed with desire.

Akane's eyebrow twitched as her jaw hung slightly open. "Honey-senpai...that's diabetes on a plate." "With icing," Hikaru added.

"I know, right? Isn't it amazing?!"

"Uh..."

Before anyone could make another comment, the bell rang. "Shoot, we'll be late!" Haruhi said. "Hurry up everyone!" With that, everyone hurriedly gathered their things and headed to their classes. Hikaru and Akane trailed behind the group a bit. "Oh, by the way, thanks for doing my homework for me," Akane said with a smile. "You really didn't have to, you know."

The auburn haired twin smiled back. "Nah, don't mention it. There's no way you would've finished all that on your own. And it's not like I was busy anyway. Besides, I kinda needed you here as soon as possible."

Akane raised an eyebrow. "What for?" Hikaru took her shoulders and turned her around so she could see an angry Mika glaring at them from behind a wall before disappearing. Akane sweat dropped. _So she still hates me, huh..._

Hikaru beamed at her in triumph. "See? Anti-Mika zone!" The redhead's sweat drop grew bigger. "So that's what you needed me for...I thought you missed me or something," she added, her eyes teasing. Much to her surprise, Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck and smiled at the ground as they walked. "Well, who said I didn't?" Akane stared at him with wide eyes. Hikaru, taking notice of this, blushed a little and avoided looking at her, holding his hands behind his head. "The hell are you staring at me like that for? Jeez..."

She laughed and punched his arm again, causing him to let out an undignified 'ow!' "You big softy," she chuckled.

Hikaru scoffed before grinning at her. "Ah, but don't forget," he began, leaning in close enough to make Akane a little - just a little - self conscious. "You owe me one now," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. Then he straightened and started walking again, leaving Akane feeling a way she couldn't really describe. _I have a bad feeling about this,_ she muttered mentally.

Hikaru turned and looked at her with innocent eyes. "You coming?" "Shut it," she growled in response. He laughed as she rejoined him and continued their walk to class.

 _~ Later... ~_

A hooded figure observed the red haired girl and her dirty blonde friend as they entered the cafeteria. "Sakazaki Akane...Yojima Izumi..." He lowered his binoculars and stood, walking towards a car that was parked outside the gates of Ouran. One of the heavily tinted windows lowered just enough so the man in the passenger seat could be heard. "How are our little friends doing?" He asked.

The man with binoculars nodded. "Quite well...it seems Sakazaki has resumed classes."

"Haha...good," the man in the car said. "Now it's only a matter of time..."

 _~ Lunch ~_

"Hmm..." Izumi muttered, frowning at a packet in front of her. "What's up, Izumi?" Akane asked. The hazel eyed girl sighed. "I don't feel like doing this math packet, but my teacher wants me to turn it in before the end of the day." She heaved a sigh. "And it's only one more problem but it's really complicated..."

Kaoru scooted closer to her. "Hmm, let's see..." He took the pencil from her hands gently. "Ah! Here, you moved the x over to the wrong side. And this should be negative 3, not positive. Also, c should stay in the denominator, since you had a negative exponent when you subtracted."

Izumi blinked, then broke out into a grin. "Yaaaay! Thank you thank you thank you," she squealed while throwing her arms around Kaoru. He laughed and returned the embrace. "No problem." She stood abruptly with a triumphant look on her face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go submit this to that old hag." Everyone laughed as she dashed out, and Akane turned to see Kaoru smiling softly. "Hey, Kaoru," she said suddenly, snapping the twin out of his thoughts. "Hmm?" He mumbled distractedly, still watching Izumi's departing form.

Akane leaned in a little over the table. "Do you like Izumi?"

"Obviously," Hikaru said next to her, taking a sip of his tea. Haruhi smiled at Kaoru. "Aw, that's great, Kaoru! You two would make a nice couple."

Kaoru raised his hands in a denying gesture. "Wait what? N-No, of course not! I mean, yeah, I like her, but not _like_ like her. She's just a good friend, is all," he added with an awkward laugh.

"That's what they all say," Hikaru said in a sing song voice. Kaoru glared at his twin before smiling. "I could say the same for you and Akane, Hikaru." Haruhi had a thoughtful expression on her face as Hikaru almost spat out his tea. "Yeah, I can see it," the honor student said, while Honey and Mori nodded next to her.

"Um," Akane said awkwardly with a sweat drop. "It's not like that, jeez," Hikaru muttered once he was able to get his tea down while avoiding everyone's eyes. Kaoru grinned.

"That's what they all say," he said, mimicking his twin's sing song voice.

Hikaru glared at his brother. "Fight me, Kaoru."

Laughs were heard around the table as the group continued eating, chatting about whatever topics came to mind. "Akane, can you tell us about your family?" Hikaru said with pleading eyes. "Pleeeaaasse?" Kaoru added with puppy dog eyes.

"No," the redhead replied with a deadpan expression, causing the twins' heads to droop in defeat. "Hey, you two, she doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to," Haruhi said.

"But Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai know," Hikaru argued. "So does Izumi," Kaoru added with a nod.

Silence filled the air as everyone realized Izumi hadn't returned. "Hey, speaking of which, where is she?" Kaoru asked.

"She should be back by now..." Akane muttered. The sound of deep chuckling floated to her ears, and she turned to see two tall boys smirking at her. _Aren't those the delinquents on the baseball team I faced off with before? The hell are they laughing at?_

She was about to confront them when something tugged at her sleeve. She looked down to see Honey. "Aka-chan, we're going to look for Izu-chan," he said. "Aren't you coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," she said distractedly. She shot one last glance at the still grinning delinquents before heading out.

The group split up and searched the school and the classrooms, asking the teachers if they'd seen the young hazel eyed girl. The teacher she was supposed to go to during lunch had said she never showed up. They weren't worried until they'd each been searching for half an hour and never found her.

"Dammit all, Izumi," Akane said as her call went to voicemail. She turned to the rest of them. "She's still not picking up." "Let's spam her phone!" Honey said, typing random letters and sending them to Izumi's phone in rapid succession. Mori took the phone out of his hands calmly. "Bad idea."

"Let's search one more time," Tamaki suggested. "If we don't find her, we'll meet back up and figure something else out." They all nodded and ran off in different directions.

Akane ran down a hallway she didn't recognize, eyes glancing left and right. _Where are you?_ She thought worriedly.

The redhead ran past the hallway that broke off the one she was currently on, but back pedaled when movement caught her eye. She peeked from behind the corner as the two delinquents, Suzuki Hiro and Tsukio Yuuji, walked away from what appeared to be a closet door.

After they'd disappeared, Akane crept quietly to the closet and opened it carefully out of curiosity. She gasped as dread filled her face.

Inside was Izumi, bruised and unconscious on the floor.

"Izumi!" She yelled, kneeling by her friend. "What the hell happened to -"

Her words were cut off as she felt something metal hit the back of her head. She fell to the ground with a pained grunt, struggling to see her attackers as her vision blurred. She could barely make out Yuuji's sadistic grin as he squatted next to her and got up in her face. "See? I told you I'd get back at you for last time," he said. Akane mustered up enough energy to glare at them as they walked away laughing. Her eyes closed as the door slammed shut, the throbbing pain in her head making it impossible to focus.

Then everything went dark.

 _A/N: Aaaand cut! Well, there you have it...trouble abound! Stay tuned for the next update, and don't forget to leave a review!_


	7. Moving To Wattpad

Hey guys, sorry for the inconvenience but I think I'll stop writing his fic here. I restarted it with some changes on wattpad, now under the title "Complications" instead of Growing Pains. My username is trashkage if you have an account, but if you don't please pm me and I'll send you the link.

thanks for sticking with this story up till now!

~Fight'sNotOverYet


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